Alabama

Report: EA Sports video game used Tim Tebow's name while he was in college

A reader provided SB Nation with this screen shot of Tim Tebow's name being used in play calls from the 2010 EA Sports NCAA football video game. (Photo from SB Nation)

Electronic Arts Sports used Tim Tebow's name in a play call as part of the company's popular NCAA football video game released in 2009, prior to Tebow's senior season at Florida, according to SB Nation.

SB Nation reported the use of Tebow's name was discovered by a reader and verified by the web site. A screen shot shows plays from the 2010 NCAA football video game out of a formation called "Shotgun Twin QB Tebow."

The revelation comes as multiple lawsuits by former athletes claim their names, images and likenesses have been commercialized, including through EA's football and basketball video games.

EA is a defendant with the NCAA and Collegiate Licensing Company in the wide-ranging anti-trust Ed O'Bannon lawsuit, which includes video games. The O'Bannon suit consolidated with former Nebraska and Arizona State quarterback Sam Keller's suit against EA.

After Keller sued over the use of video game images in 2009, the NCAA stated that its agreement with EA Sports "clearly prohibits the use of names and pictures of current student-athletes in their electronic games. We are confident that no such use has occurred."

Former EA Sports executive producer Jeremy Strauser testified last December that college sports video games were designed to replicate actual players without using names. Strauser said avatars were linked to specific player identifying numbers and biographical information, such as team depth charts, to make the game realistic.

Attempts to get comments today from the NCAA and EA on the Tebow play call were not immediately successful.